A Symphony of Hearts
by Mizagium
Summary: With the worlds reunited, Cruxis defeated, and the Vanguard disbanded, peace seems to be on the horizon for Aselia. But the reuniting of the worlds also reunited the Heart of the world. A new darkness now looms over the world, with one goal: destruction.
1. Hearts in Darknes

**Author's Note:** This story takes place one year after the events of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, and Kingdom Hearts II.

* * *

Down in the Ginnungagap Richter braced himself against the door to Niflheim, against the feral onslaught of the demons desperate to escape from their hellish prison. When the attack subsided, the half-elf slumped to the floor, back against the wall, face dripping with sweat.

"Master Richter!" Aqua, the centurion of water, glided over to his side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Aqua." He flipped his hair out of his face and removed his glasses. As he rubbed his eyes, Tenebrae padded into view.

"The demons are fighting against their imprisonment with much more ferocity than usual," the centurion f darkness observed darkly.

"Don't I know it," Richter muttered, replacing his glasses. "Even here - and even with Ratatosk's help - my body still has its limits. If they keep this up...I'm done for."

"No!" Aqua wailed. "What if Tenebrae spoke to Emil? He could- "

"No," Richter snapped. "That kid has enough problems. I made this mess - it's my fault. He never deserved to be caught up in it. I'll pay my - ah!"

The sounds of inhuman screams and snarls accompanied a fresh bombardment from the demons of Niflheim. When they calmed, Richter slumped forward, having never regain his stance. Aqua set a hand on his forehead and relieved his pain, lulling him into a restful sleep.

"Tenebrae," she hissed after the centurion, who had begun to walk away following the demon's rage. Aqua flew past him and stopped. "Are you just going to let him go on like that?"

"Why not? He seems determined to do this alone. Bringing back Emil would only deepen the guilt he carries in his heart."

He pushed past her and continued on. Aqua lingered, watching her beloved sleep. "What about the demons?" she asked in desperation. "You said it yourself that their ferocity worries you. Shouldn't that be a reason to seek EMil?"

That made the dark centurion stop. "Are you telling me that you are actually concerned for the security of the reunited world? That you are not simply looking for a way to save Richter?"

"Or course," she snapped, glided up to him. "I'm a centurion - same as you." Over the last year, she hadn't exactly proven that. Swayed by her love for Richter, she had gone against her true master, Ratatosk, summon spirit of the old Kharlan Tree and Lord of Monsters. "Despite what you think, the surge in the demons does indeed alarm me, and I think that only the return of Lord- "

"Emil was to be given a human life, Aqua! We - all the centurions agreed."

"Lord Ratatosk might be the only one capable of quelling the demonhorde and you know it!"

Tenebrae was silent, then: "I know, Aqua. But we agreed that EMil should be allowed to live out his life with Lady Marta before returning. Even Lord Ratatosk agreed."

"This is a much bigger problem than Emil, or Marta, or..." she stared longingly at sleeping Richter.

"You've changed Aqua."

"What?"

"I see the centurion in you once again. After your actions this pat year, I had doubted if I should ever see it again. But I was wrong, it seems, and that makes it much harder to disagree with you."

Aqua prepared to say some nasty in response, but realized Tenebrae had just paid her a compliment. Where she human, she would have blushed.

"Here's what I'll do, Aqua: I'll go talk to Emil and Lady Marta. Once then, I'll let them decide what is best."

She knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it. Tenebrae had actually conceded her point, and not disagreed outright.

"Stay here with Master Richter. Make sure he doesn't kill himself."

"Okay. Good luck, Tenebrae."

* * *

"And look, that one is Mjollnir." Colette pointed to a cluster of stars that resembled a large hammer.

"Where did you learn all of these constellations?" Lloyd asked. He was laying beside her in a field outside of Iselia.

"From Professor Raine. Some of us were actually paying attention in her class, you know," she scolded gently.

"You sound like like Genis," he groaned, which made her laugh.

"Where is Genis anyway?" she asked after a minute.

"Studying at Palmacosta, remember? He meant to go years ago, but the Journey of Salvation followed by the Vanguard's Blood Purge delayed that. Now that everything has calmed down, he can finally go."

"I can't believe it's finally over." Colette turned on her side so that she could see Lloyd. "With the Vangaurd disbanded, a lot of the hostility between Tethe'allas and Sylvaranti has started to dissipate. People are returning to the Church in large numbers."

"Even without their Goddess?"

"We haven't - I haven't - had the heart to tell them the truth. It would destroy them."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed with a sharp sigh. "Same with telling them the truth about Mithos. It would - ah, I don't even know. But it would be bad."

"I think maybe that this time, Lloyd, honesty might not be the best policy." She smiled, but Lloyd could see she was conflicted inside. Lying was never something Colette did normally - or very well. That she would even suggest she was will do so was indicative of the gravity of the situation.

Telling the people of the world - Tethe'allan and Sylvaranti alike - that their hero, Mithos, had become the villain, Yggdrasil, leader of Cruxis and the Desians, obsessed with the eradication of free will, and that Martel, their Goddess, was his sister with whom he was also obsessed with resurrecting - telling them that would destroy four thousand years of culture. The implications would be catastrophic.

He sighed. Even now, having slain Mithos Yggdrasil himself, he could not bring himself to hate him. It was painfully obvious that their goals were the same" to eliminate discrimination and prejudice. Although their methods differed drastically, Lloyd saw how easy it would be to slip down the wrong path as Mithos had.

A shale from Colete snapped him out of his reverie. "Sorry. Hey, show me another constellation."

"Okay." She rolled onto her back and scanned the night sky. "Well, that one is Mimir. And that one - " she craned her neck and tilted her head to one side. While she wasn't looking, Lloyd reached into his pocket.

"-That's Orouboros. And that's...a ring?"

Lloyd was on one knee, holding the ring out over her face, a nervous grin on his face.

"Lloyd?"

"I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but - "

"Did you have Dirk make this?"

Lloyd turned scarlet and fumbled his words. "N-No! I...I made it. I mean, her showed me how, but I - woah!" Colette flung her arms around him and carried him to the ground.

"Oh, Lloyd! Do you really mean it?"

"Would I embarrass myself like this if I didn't? Of course I mean it. I love you, Colette, I always have. So...will you marry me?"

"Of course!" she kissed him then, which caught him by surprise. When they disconnected, he said, "Here, give me your hand."

"It's perfect, Lloyd."

"It better be. I spent weeks on that."

"Thank you." She rested her head on his chest and they lay there under the stars. "Let's have the wedding here - at the Temple."

"I wonder if Verius would show up," Lloyd joked. "He is the Summon Spirit of Heart, after all."

"But how are we going to get everybody back together? It's hard to keep track of everybody these days. I don't want a wedding without all our friends."

"Me either."

"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything," came a familiar voice. Tenebrae padded into view above them.

"Doggy!" Colette exclaimed. "Oops, I'm sorry. I mean: Mr. Doggy."

Tenebrae sighed resignedly, which made Lloyd laugh. "Hi, Tenebrae. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Emil and Lady Marta. Have either for you seen them?"

Lloyd and Colette both sat up. "No, but they're probably in Meltokio. Brute's trial was today."

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten." A look of distress not commonly seen crossed the centurion's face. "I wonder if 'not guilty by reason of possession' is a valid defense plea," he mused wryly.

"I don't think so," Colette said, not getting the joke. "But you can ask when you get there." Lloyd seemed not have understood the joke either.

"Yes, well, I should get going. Oh, congratulations." He nodded at the ring. "I'm sure you two will be very happy."

"Thanks!"

"Tenebrae," Lloyd called as he started to walk away. "Could you us a favor? Since you're already going out, could you let everybody know about...this?"

Normally, Tenebrae would have raised a fuss about being used a courier, but he decided against it. this was special.

"Certainly. I'm sure Lady Marta will be most ecstatic."

"Thank you."

"Thanks, Tenebie!" Colette said as he vanished into the night.

* * *

Emil was there waiting when Marta came out of the Meltokio royal prison. "How is he?"

"Brute's fine," she replied quietly. Emil always thought it strange that she referred to her father by his first name. "He's mellowed out a lot since we removed Solum's core. He regrets the decisions he made with the Vanguard last year - I think he's genuinely sorry." Marta stared off into the morning light. "I think he wants to change."

"He's not angry that his trial was held in Tethe'alla?"

"No. He's lucky that it wasn't in Palmacosta."

The memory of the Blood Purge made Emil shudder. It had been a night of his death and birth. The real Emil Castagnier had been slain, and an amnesiac Ratatosk had assumed his identity - in the form of Richter's dead friend, Aster. Just thinking about it made his head throb.

"How are _you_?"

"I'm fine," she said with a sigh. "Sad, I guess for Brute, but glad that they decided no to put me on trial - lucky Lloyd has some influence over the King of Tethe'alla, huh?"

"I should think so. He did he help save the world. Worlds," he amended.

Silently, Marta fell into Emil's embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "It fells strange, you know? We hated Lloyd for so long, and it turns out that he was the good guy."

"Nothing's ever what it seems, Marta." He knew that more than anyone. Deep down inside, Ratatosk groaned.

_Oh, give me a break._

Only Emil could hear the Summon Spirit and he ignored him.

the night was suddenly split by a scream. Both Emil and Marta turned in the direction it had come from. A woman came running down the street and went right past them. They moved to intercept whoever it was chasing her.

"Emil! That's-"

"A monster." A strange, writhing black figure scrambled along towards him and stopped a distance away, staring with its two golden eyes. It seemed like a shadow come to life.

Emil reached down into himself and brought Ratatosk's power to the surface. "Monster! Here me: I am Ratatosk. As Lord of Monsters I have forbidden them inside towns and cities. I command you to leave this place." When the thing refused to leave, he raised his voice. "Begone from this city!"

In response, the shadowy monster lunged at Emil. He brought his sword up to block - too slow. Just in time, Marta sprang forward, cutting the monster down with a single wipe from her spinner. The monster vanished in a puff of darkness.

"What was that?" Emil asked no one in particular.

"Not a monster of darkness I'm familiar with," answered a voice from behind.

"Tenebrae!" Emil spun around to greet his centurion friend.

"Emil. Lady Marta. Lord Ratatosk."

Marta threw her arms around him. "It's so good to see you again."

"And you aw well, Lady Marta. How is you father?"

"Fine. They found him guilty of course, but he's doing alright."

"My sympathies."

"What are you doing here, Tenebrae?" Emil asked, both for himself and Ratatosk.

"Ah yes. Lord Ratatosk, we may have a problem down in the Ginnungagap. The demonhorde is throwing everything they have against their imprisonment."

"That's nothing new."

"Perhaps not, but Richter is weakening. Every day he holds is another one closer to his eventual...death, I suppose is the only word applicable here."

"That shouldn't happen. The mana flow goes right to the Ginnungagap. I set it up so that he would never weaken - not in mana, at least. Aren't the centurions assisting?"

"Yes, but I fear it is not enough. Something has changed." He said no more, but it was enough to concern Ratatosk.

"Very well. Thank you, Tenebrae. Emil, if it's alright with you, I'd like to return to the Ginnungagap for a short time to investigate. Marta may come along as well."

"Oh, yeah," she retorted. "That's exactly where I want to go."

"Sorry."

"In the morning, then," Tenebrae diffused the situation. "And before I forget, Colette and Lloyd have asked me to invite the two of you to their wedding in two months time."

"A wedding?" Marta brightened up immediately. "That's wonderful! Wait, that means I have to buy a dress - and a tux for Emil."

"What?" Emil and Ratatosk said in concert. "But-"

"This is important," she insisted. "You two go down there and do whatever. Meanwhile, I'll go shopping for both of us."

"Oh no."

Ratatosk laughed inwardly at Emil.

* * *

**Please review**


	2. The Invisible

"How was shopping, master Emil?" Tenebrae teased as the three made their way down the spiraling bone path that connected the Otherworldly Gate to the entrance to the Ginnungagap. Although he possessed the ability to fly, the Centurion preferred to pad silently alongside them.

"Fun!" Marta exclaimed.

"Yeah, fun for you, maybe." Emil was in no mood for Marta's childishness at the moment, he had too many things on his mind at the moment. Like the monster attack last night.

"What's wrong with you today?" Marta demanded. "You've been all doom-and-gloom since you woke up. I haven't seen you this bad since…well, when we first met." She softened. "Was it the monster last night?"

"Mm-hm. It's been bugging me all night. How could a monster refuse an order from Lord Ratatosk? I even asked him."

"And?"

He shook his head. "He refused to answer my questions. I think he knows something, something he isn't telling me."

_Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!_

"Oh hush you!" Emil shouted at Ratatosk, even though only he could hear him. "You wouldn't give up answers last night, why are you so talkative today?"

_I don't have to explain myself to a mortal._

"You do if we're sharing the same body."

Emil was keenly aware of both Marta and Tenebrae staring at him. He flushed red but refused to glance at either of them.

Ratatosk relented. _Once we talk with Richter – if my suspicions are confirmed, I will explain everything to you. You are correct; so long as I live within you, you are the Lord of Monsters as much as I._

Emil hadn't expected the summon spirit to say that and was taken aback. "Ah, well," he sputtered, drawing another look from his companions.

"What's he have to say, Emil?"

"After we talk to Richter, he'll explain everything." They reached the bottom and took places on the final transporter.

"What do you mean by 'everything'?"

"I don't know."

Emil suddenly wondered if Tenebrae knew more than he was letting on, too. Probably, since he was a Centurion; if Ratatosk knew something, it was a safe bet that the Centurions knew just as much. His mind drifted briefly back to the previous night…

"Hey, did either of you see the meteor shower last night?"

Tenebrae whirled on the spot, moving faster than Emil had ever seen the Centurion move. "What did you say?"

"Uh…"

Tenebrae was suddenly up in the air, inches from Emil's face. "Did you say a meteor shower?"

"Uh, yeah. Last night. After we went back to the inn, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. There was a meteor shower then, a pretty big one, actually. It was like the whole sky was raining fire down on Aselia." He met the fearful look in Tenebrae's eyes. "Why?"

The two remained like that for nearly half a minute before Tenebrae landed again. "Nothing."

Now Emil was certain Tenebrae and Ratatosk knew much more than either would say. He wondered if Aqua was in on it, too. Or Richter. He ignored Marta's numerous questions as they descended to the Ginnungagap.

* * *

Sheena's fist shot up into the air, a signal for her sqadmates to move forward. She received no answer except the soft rustling of leave as the Mizuho ninjas darted from their position. From the corners of her eyes, she could barely glimpse them glide over the ground to their new scouting positions. She and two others waited, barely breathing for fear of alerting the target. A hand went up; all was clear.

She and her flanking ninjas darted forward in much the same manner as those before her, passing them and assuming a defensive position, scouting for signs of their target. The ninjas had traversed nearly half the Gaoracchia Forest in this leap frog manner without so much of a glimpse of their target.

Last night, during the meteor shower, a child had claimed to have spotted a dark figure moving through the forest. When three more reported the same thing, a squad was sent off to investigate, expecting to find a rouge bear or something.

They never returned.

That morning, Sheena had led her squad into the Gaoracchia, following the previous squad's trail until it reached a dead end. Since then, they had been leapfrogging deeper into the forest searching for either this dark shape or the last squad.

"We're never gonna find them," Onika whispered in her ear. "Dozens of people get lost in the Forest every year and are never found."

Without turning, Sheena answered, "They were highly trained in the Igaguri style, and masters of surviving in the most punishing circumstances. Mizuho ninjas do not simply get lost, Onika." This had become something of a personal mission for Sheena. Losing her own people was never something she could accept, especially when her people should not, in all logical sense, have gotten lost in the first place.

No, something had gotten them, and she intended to find out what.

Before Onika could respond, Sheena raised the "all-clear" signal and the second team rushed forward silently. Secretly expecting the same signal in return, Sheena stared at the one she received instead: an open hand.

Target sighted.

She nodded to Onika and Veirles and the three joined their comrades. "What do we have?" she asked Raenala, the lead scout.

"Just what the reports said: a large shadow. Look." He pushed aside some brush, revealing a large clearing, the edge of which they were on. In the center a large humanoid…thing hovered. Bright golden eyes stared out unblinkingly below a strange crown-like appendage extending vertically up from the head, with a strange, heart-shaped pattern. The body was heavily muscular with a hollow heart shape in the center.. Two small bat wings flapped from its back, obviously nat large enough to keep the thing afloat. It carried a large, scalloped sword in one hand.

"What is that?"

"That," Raenala said, "is what killed our ninjas."

* * *

Richter started awake as Emil, Marta, and Tenebrae walked into view. He was where Aqua had left him last night: slumped against the door to Nifleheim. Vertebrae cracked as he sat up properly, a bit stiff after sleeping in a sitting position.

"Well met, Tenebrae. Emil. Lady Marta." He greeted each of them in turn. "But what are you doing here?" The question was much rougher than he had intended, but he was too exhausted to correct it.

"We're here about the – ah – demon problem, Richter," Tenebrae answered lightly.

"Oh, I don't' know," Richter retorted. "I think I've got this under control."

"Yes, I can see that. Ah – right on cue."

Aqua had chosen that moment to glide into view, coming to a rest beside Richter. She shot Tenebrae a dark look; Tenebrae me tit with one of his own. "There was a meteor shower last night, Aqua."

That single sentence seemed to carry a world of meaning.

"What?" Her expression changed to worry and alarm. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Emil saw it, not I, but it seems to fit with recent events: the increasing rage of the demonhorde, the monster attack last night."

"Monster attack?" Aqua quickly closed the distance between them. "But Lord Ratatosk forbade all monsters from entering human cities!"

"Yes, I know."

"So it refused an order from the Lord of Monsters?"

"Yes."

An uneasy silence settled between them. Richter braced himself against the door and pulled himself to his feet. "Aqua, Tenebrae, what's going on?"

"Yes, I would like to know that as well," Emil said. "I think Marta would like that as well."

"Yep. I don't have the benefit of Centurion knowledge or a summon spirit residing within me, so I'm in the dark more than the rest of you."

Aqua stared intently at Tenebrae. "Do we - ?"

"Yes." It wasn't Tenebrae who answered, but Ratatosk, temporarily freed from the confines of Emil's mind and body by the Ginnungagap. "So long as Emil houses my being, and Richter guards the door, it is their right to know what is going on."

* * *

"Orders, Commander Sheena?"

Sheena was silent a minute, then: "It has already killed an unprepared squad; it is too dangerous to be left alone. Exterminate it. Spread out, surround the beast."

"Right."

In the blink of an eye the five other ninjas vanished, appearing again at various points around the clearing. She waited a predetermined amount of time before looking to the right and left. Smoke bombs flew out of the trees, a diversion while she and the other moved in for the kill. A wind whipped up and the smoke filled the clearing.

Sheena burst forward, bringing her cards to bear. "Demon Seal!" The card connected with what she assumed was the monster and a terrifying amount of mana was released into the target. Once her attack was finished, she hopped back into the covering while the others took turns with their seals. This six-pronged attack was an Igaguri secret, designed to eliminate a single target in one shot.

When the attack was completed, they six ninjas remained hidden while the smoke cleared. Instead of the corpse of whatever monster it was crumpled on the ground, what remained was its' sword impaled into the ground. Cautiously, they moved forward.

"Did we get it?" Raenala asked.

"Of course we got it," Onika snapped. "Look: Do you see it anywhere? Obviously we killed it." Sheena wasn't so sure. "The power of our attack destroyed the creature. We should take the sword back as proof of it."

"No! Onika, don't!" Sheena yelled too late as the arrogant ninja grasped the hilt. A ring of dark fire appeared around the sword. Onkia immediately let go and hopped back, but the fire ring followed him. He made to run, but wasn't fast enough.

The fire ring constricted.

Onika screamed in pain as he was lifted off the ground by the fire. He struggled in the air as the other ninjas tried to reach him and failed. Sheena saw the serrated sword vanish before her eyes and knew instinctively that whatever this creature was, it wasn't dead.

It materialized behind Onika, sword in hand. With cold efficiency, it raised the sword with both and brought it down in a diagonal sweep, splitting Onika from his left shoulder to his right hip. The fire ring vanished and the halves of the dead ninjas fell in a bloody mess.

"Run!" Sheena shouted the order immediately. "Scatter!" Golden eyes locked on her, filling her with primal fear, one she had never known before.

As it watched them flee, the monster changed its target to the slowest of group. Tracking it those cold golden eyes, it impaled the serrated blade into the ground, becoming invisible as the ring of black fire caught up with Veirles. He died in the same agonizing way as Onika.

* * *

"There exist in the universe," Ratatosk began, "two planes of existence: the Realm of Light, and the Realm of Darkness. They behave in a similar manner as Sylvarant and Tethe'alla did when they were separated, existing in the same place, at the same time, but…removed." He knew it went right over Emil and Marta's heads, but suspected Richter understood. "Most of what you see – including the world above – exists within the Realm of Light, while areas like Niflehiem exist within the Darkness."

"Do these Realms have anything to do with the Light and Darkness of mana, or the Centurions? Emil asked.

"No," Tenebrae answered. "The Darkness we are referring to is true darkness; my domain is perhaps more accurately called shadow…"

"That is irrelevant at the moment, Tenebrae," Ratatosk interrupted. "Darkness exists within every human heart, but it is usually overpowered by Light. Sometimes, people become consumed by the Darkness within them, and are lost to it. In such cases, the Darkness manifests itself into beings known as Heartless."

"Is that…what attacked me last night?"

"Correct. Heartless are not monsters, and are not subject to my control. Aselia had remained separated for so long, that I nearly had forgotten about the threat of the Heartless, as did the people. Heartless behave according to instinct. They have no minds and are driven by a single governing desire: to collect more hearts and increase their own strength. We cannot reason within them; we cannot trade with them. All we have for them is our hearts."

Richter cleared his throat. "I assume you do not mean our physical, beating heart?"

"No. Very good, Richter. The Hearts I am referring to are the same hearts under the jurisdiction of Verius. Hearts are the source of human willpower, courage, strength, and the alignment with Light or Darkness."

"Interesting. But what does this have to do with the demonhorde?" Tenebrae and Aqua exchanged a look. "Ah. I see: the demonhorde is Heartless."

"What?" Emil exclaimed. "But that means that…you…"

"Correct, Emil. I made a pact with Pluto, the Demon Lord, who was also an extremely powerful Heartless."

Marta spoke for the first time. "But…why are the Heartless appearing now? Why weren't they a problem before?"

Ratatosk took a long time in answering. "Because when Aselia was slip in tow, so was its heart."

* * *

Sheena staggered into Mizuho, covered in blood; most of it wasn't hers. A crowd quickly gathered around her as she collapsed to her knees. Nurses caught her as she fell. "In-invisible," she sputtered. "The damn thing…is invisible."


	3. The Massacre of Mizuho

**Chapter Three: The Massacre of Mizuho**

* * *

The eyes behind the eyes of the Invisible watched the village through the brush. Medics rushed to the aid of the fallen ninja female and carried her away. Good; she was the only threat to it. Gripping its scalloped blade in one hand, the Invisible called out to the Shadows lurking near, and sent them into the village. Although the Invisible ached for Hearts, the master giving orders held it back, like restraining a dog in order to increase its ferocity in the coming battle. The Hearts will still be there; let them feel fear first, the master assured the Invisible. Fear was something the Invisible understood – at least on a primal level. Yes, fear was good.

Fear made prey act stupidly.

* * *

Marta gasped. "Its Heart? The world has a Heart?"

"Everything has a Heart, Marta: people, monsters and worlds. The Heart is what aligns us with either Darkness or Light. The Heartless's ultimate goal is to corrupt the Heart of this World, turning it to Darkness, and destroying it."

Tenebrae flicked his tail patiently, allowing the information to sink in. The Ginnungagap was deathly silent for a few minutes before the howls of the demonhorde picked up again. Richter turned a braced himself against the door, but the demons did not attack at that moment. "I suppose that would make sense," Richter admitted. "If Pluto was a Heartless."

"What can we do?" Emil asked.

"Not a great deal," Tenebrae admitted.

"There must be something – "

"Zelos."

Emil found himself speechless for a moment. "What?"

"Go find the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos Wilder. He is in good favor with the Tethe'allan king. The only thing we can do for the moment is prepare for a prolonged struggle. No one will believe you unless they see it with their own eyes, and by then it will be too late. The king will listen to Zelos, especially now that he no longer has the Pope."

"Yeah, but…Zelos!"

Tenebrae was silent, flicking his gaze to Aqua and then Richter. Marta spoke: "We're wasting time, Emil. Back to Meltokio!"

"We were just in Meltokio last night," he muttered.

"No complaining! Let's go!" She locked a vice grip on his arm and began dragging him away. Emil made to say something but caught his breath as Ratatosk reinhabited his body.

"Emil," Tenebrae called after them.

"Hm?" They stopped and watched the Centurion expectantly. Tenebrae opened his mouth as if to say something, but snapped it shut.

"Never mind; it's not important. Go quickly. We may not have much time."

"Right." Marta pulled Emil out of view and out of the Ginnungagap.

Tenebrae watched after them for a long while before turning away and walking back to aqua and Richter sullenly.

"You couldn't tell him, could you?" Richter asked flatly.

"Could you?"

Richter smiled sadly and shook his head. "No. that kid has had too much thrown at him. First he finds out he isn't even real, and then this. Now we have to tell him about Aster's Heart…it would destroy him."

"He'll have to find out eventually," Tenebrae said.

"Maybe not. Maybe it won't be an issue like we think it is." He knew he was full of foolish hope, but he needed to be; there was no way he could consign Emil to his fate.

"Lord Ratatosk thinks otherwise."

"What about Verius, have you consulted him?" Richter challenged.

"Verius is a young summon spirit, who knows very little about his charge. Hearts may be his domain, but he doesn't know everything. The knowledge of Hearts was lost over four thousand years ago when the worlds were split. If only that foolish Mithos hadn't – "

"Foolish? Mithos was not a fool!" Richter pointed an accusing finger at Tenebrae. "Mithos was a hero who fought to end discrimination against Half-elves. He ended the war between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, and you call him foolish?"

"And yet the worlds were still ripped apart," Tenebrae mused.

"The Desians returned after his death – " Richter broke off his history lesson to give Tenebrae a strange look. "What?"

"Tell me, Richter, what was the name of Cruxis's leader, whom Lloyd and his companions defeated on Derris-Kharlan?"

"Yggdrasil. Why?"

"Have you ever done research on Mithos? Even come across a surname for the hero?"

"No," Richter said carefully. "His family name was lost to history. What are you talking about, Tenebrae?"

"Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. If you get around to it, you might to look into that." Without another word, Tenebrae turned and skulked out of the chamber. Aqua chased after him, leaving Richter alone with the door to Niflheim.

The howling of the demonhorde crescendoed and they resumed their mindless assault. "Come on you!" Richter challenged, facing the door. "Come on, give me everything you have! You won't escape from your prison. My Heart is stronger than all of you combined!"

* * *

Sheena was gathered up by a team of medic and quickly carried off to the chief's hut where she was met by Tiga, still the vice-chief after Sheena assumed the responsibilities of her adopted grandfather four years ago. He could only stare in horror at the bloody form of Sheena, arguably the village's greatest ninja.

"What happened to her?" he demanded from the medics as they began administering Healing Artes.

"We're not sure. She stumbled in from the Forest a few minutes ago like this and collapsed."

"Have any of the others returned?"

"No. Only her."

"What happened to you?" he whispered as her breathing leveled. One medic wet a cloth and began wiping the blood from her. Tiga was ushered out so they could continue washing her. Did they think he was going to watch them undress her? Considering the circumstances, that seemed like the least of their worries. Outside, he slumped against the hut and stared out into the forest. And it was such a nice day, too. What was out there that could do this? As if to mock him, something roared beyond the tree line.

A woman screamed near the entrance to the village. Tiga sprinted towards her, ready to fight. A crowd had gathered around the spot where Sheena had collapsed before, only now a mangled corpse lay in her place. The body coughed. Not a corpse yet, Tiga amended.

"Medics!" he called. "Quickly we have another survivor here! Medic!" The injured man tried to speak, but only managed to gurgle up some more blood which spilled down over his throat. Tiga lifted the man's head gently so he didn't drown in his own blood, when someone else shouted.

"Look!" A monster scurried out of the forest, black as the night with golden eyes and twitching feelers. Instantly the crowd backed away.

_Cowards,_ Tiga cursed under his breath. _This is Mizuho, a proud village of ninjas, not a weak outsider town._ The shadowy monster made a beeline line for the injured man. Tiga couldn't reach his weapon in time to stop the monster from leaping onto the man's chest. The man exclaimed something in pain, and quieted.

A bright light erupted from his chest and a jewel heart shape burst forth. It was beautiful. It hovered over the man for a moment before darkness swallowed it. Confused, Tiga looked back to the man in his arms, only to see him fade into darkness as well. Silence. A swirling of darkness manifested where the heart had been swallowed a moment earlier. This time, Tiga did move out of the way, just in time to see another monster manifest. This one resembled a simplified drawing of a ninja with dark purple cloth covering the entire body and knives strapped to a belt. No face was visible, only a set of glowing yellow eyes.

For an instant, nobody moved; then the ninja-monster hurled a knife at a villager to its immediate right. The knife pierced his throat and he dropped, surprise forever frozen in his eyes. Before his head even touched the ground, Tiga rushed forward and extended his hands – palm out – to the monster.

"Demon Seal!" The blast from the attack threw the monster several feet back, but it recovered and skidded to a halt. "Orochi!" Tiga called before the monster was upon him. It moved with the same grace and agility of any ninja to come out of Mizuho. _But that's impossible,_ he thought even as he narrowly dodged a knife hurled his way. He was tiring; he could feel his reflexes slowing. _I'm not as young as I used to be,_ he thought miserably. _Damn it! Where's Orochi?_

Seizing a brief moment of calm to look around, he saw Orochi locked in battle with another one of the ninja monsters. Where had that come from? In the same instant, he knew the fallen villager's body had vanished. _Is that what is happening? Are we somehow fighting our fallen comrades?_

There was no time to dwell on it because his opponent leaped at him again. Rather than doge again, he thrust his hands forward. "Spirit Seal!" he shouted just as the monster collided with him. It froze it the air…and dissipated before his eyes, leaving a glowing jeweled heart behind, one that was identical to that which has flown out of the dying ninja's body before. It, too, faded from his eyes.

As he caught his breath, he saw Orochi out of the corner of his eye dispatch the monster in the same way. "Lieutenant!" He rushed to Tiga's side. "What were those things? I've never seen such monster in the Gaoracchia before. Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, Orochi. It's the chief I'm worried about."

"Sheena! Is she alright?"

Tiga gave him a serious look. "She stumbled in from the forest a bloody mess. We thought she was the only survivor, but it seems we were mistaken."

"What were those things? It seemed like those shadows…turned our people into those things." He shook his head. "But that doesn't make sense."

"Maybe not, but that's exactly what happened. Give the order for all trained adults to gather at the chief's hut. Everyone else is to return to their homes."

"Sir?"

"While Sheena is incapacitated, I give the orders, Orochi," he said sternly.

"Right."

* * *

The Invisible itched to go forth and slaughter the entire village; Kingdom Hearts ached for more Hearts, and it ached to be the deliverer. But the intelligence that remained in control restrained the Heartless still. Small steps must be made. Confusion must take root, fear become rampant. Chaos.

More Shadows were conjured within the shadow of the hovering Invisible and sent into the village. _Patience,_ he cooed. _Patience is the key._ Three more Ninjas materialized around it, called forth from then Hearts of the slain humans, the ones with the most darkness. They, too were sent ahead.

The Invisible did not understand patience, it only understood one thing: killing. Yet it waited, restrained by its master.

* * *

Tiga, with Orochi by his side, faced the gathered Mizuho ninjas grimly. "These monsters…we don't know a great about them. They are fast, powerful, stealthy. The ninjas appear to be created from fallen humans. I know what you're thinking, but we have to destroy them. They are no longer out friends. They are the enemy, and remember: they will kill you without a second thought.

"The shadow ones…they are the corrupters. They turn our dead and dying into more of the stronger monsters. Try to destroy them, but never alone, that goes for both types. Work in at least teams of three, more if possible. Mizuho will survive."

He surveyed those gathered. Each bore similar expressions of doubt and fear. He felt the same way, only he hid his better. Sheena, possibly the most powerful ninja in Mizuho – and a Summoner! – had nearly been killed by these things. What hope did the rest of them have? Tiga had hoped his slaying of one would disprove the perceived invincibility of the enemy, but he feared it had just the opposite effect.

Even so, they nodded, polite enough to pretend confidence.

_May the spirits watch over us._

Someone pointed. Three ninja monsters walked – Walked! The arrogance! – out of the trees and stopped, waiting for the Mizuho ninjas to confront them. Time halted for the briefest instant – and then they were fighting. Following Tiga's advice, the warriors took on the monsters in groups. They seemed to be doing well, but after maybe ten minutes, they began to tire; all three enemies still stood.

That was when it began to go wrong. Out of nowhere, a group of the ninja monsters flanked the fighting Mizuhoens. Evidently, shadows had accompanied the three original attackers, but escaped noticed. Now five or six more villagers had been transformed into heatless monsters.

Tiga was surprised at how well he took the information.

But seeing more of their friends and - he suspected – family become monster only stirred their indignant fury, and the battle turned in their favor. Tiga himself dispatched two of the monsters. Orochi intercepted the shadow things and slew them with relative ease. Within minutes, the scale tipped in favor of Mizuho.

* * *

The Invisible raged against its restraining master, desperate to join the fight. Seeing its fellow Heartless fall failed to invoke any emotion, despite being a creature of only Heart. No, it was simply being contained that invoked its rage.

Its master observed the battle through the Invisible's eyes. No, this was not going well at all. He had thought seeing their fellow men and women become Heartless would break their spirit, but, alas, it appeared to have had the opposite effect. Such was the fighting spirit of humans, he lamented.

Suddenly, the bonds holding back the Invisible were released. _Go,_ he told it. _The plans have changed. If they will not break before their own, then I shall show them true fear!_

Once again, the Heartless understood nothing of its master's machinations, only that it was free to do as it pleased.

And how, it was pleased.

* * *

Tiga watched in horror as it appeared from the forest. It was a thing of pure darkness, man -sized, with bright golden eyes. Two bat-wings seemed to be more for decoration than actually keeping the beast aloft, and a tail swished back and forth – like a cat. Atop its head sat a crest that brought to mind the horns of a demon. Carved out of the center of the thing's chest was a heart shape that cut clean through from one side to the other; Tiga could see the trees through the hole. Most terrifying of all was the scalloped sword it carried in one hand.

Truly, death was upon them.

Before he could shout a warning, the black thing was upon one villager, decapitating him in one swift stroke. Another was split down the middle before the Mizuho ninjas could retreat. From behind the thing streamed more of the shadows, catching the slower of the warriors and creating more of the ninja monsters. They, in turn, killed more of the villagers, which allowed the shadows to catch them.

It was a never ending cycle of death, at the center of which was this demon with the hollow heart.

The Invisible surveyed the carnage and reveled in it. This was what it was born to do, kill, destroy, and collect hearts. There could be no other reason for existence, only this. Drunk in its work, the Heartless planted the scalloped sword into the ground and vanished from the visible light spectrum.

Without its sword, it could not main as completely, but it did have other powers. Pausing before a hut, it hurled orbs of darkness, setting the structure ablaze. It moved on to the next, allowing the Ninjas and Shadows to take the fleeing humans. Unhindered by the pathetic fighting ones, it crossed the village in minutes, setting everything alight. Once it was satisfied, it summoned its sword and returned to sight.

While it enjoyed the chaos, the slaughter had gone on for too long; it was time to end this and collect every single heart.

Only Tiga, Orochi, and a handful of others – none of them trained ninjas – remained. They formed a loose line in front of the chief's hut, a pitiful force against the tide of the dark monsters and their demonic leader.

_No, this can't be happening_, Tiga thought. _I'm not ready to die…but if I must, I shall die fighting._ But he had no strength left; he was only standing through sheer force of will alone. Breathing became a conscious effort – _inhale; exhale_ – and his eyelids drooped dangerously low. This was it, this would be the last stand of the Mizuho ninja clan.

The force of monsters halted as their strongest came forward. It paused before Tiga and pointed the sword at his throat. The lieutenant lifted his head in defiance and stared into the empty, golden eyes of his foe. There was nothing there, only death. He resolved to face down his opponent to the end, barely flinching as the sword was drawn back and readied for a swing. Tiga braced himself for death.

It didn't come.

All of the monsters were no longer looking at him or the other ninjas; something was distracting them. Something behind him. He heard a familiar voice…

"…Ruler of all. I summon thee: come ORIGIN!"

* * *

Origin, King of the Summon Spirits came suddenly into being above the few remaining ninjas. The four-armed humanoid regarded the Heartless with absolute disgust. _After all this time, they have returned. How I have dreaded this day. _A great multitude of spears came into being at his thought and struck into the Heartless with another. After two strikes, the entire fore was eliminated, except for the Invisible.

Enraged, the Invisible tore itself away from Tiga and launched itself at Origin. The Summon Spirit King met the sword slash with one of his own, augmented by three spears. He knocked the Heartless away and rushed it, slamming his shoulder into the monster's face and sent it crashing to the ground. Four spears imbedding themselves in the ground around the Invisible's sword.

_No!_ Origin quickly scanned the immediate area, first with his vision, and then with his knowledge of the fabric of the universe. Nearly too late, he found the Invisible. He spun out of the way of a burst of darkness, and another, and readied his attack.

When the Heartless came at him again, he drove four spears into the invisible form, followed by a downward sword slash into its head. At that instant, the weapons appeared to be stuck in the air itself, but then the Invisible became visible. Origin ripped the four spears out in different directions, tearing the Heartless apart at the seams. Below, the sword cracked and shattered before fading into darkness.

Mizuho was destroyed and being consumed by fire. Only Sheena, Tiga, Orochi, and two women had survived the massacre. Origin clenched his fists in anger at not being able to stop the Heartless in time.

_Sheena!_ The Summoner's strength was failing. He saw her, standing outside the chief's hut, locked in the summoning posture, pupils dilated and distant. A pang of guilt sounded in his heart before she released the mana, and collapsed. Origin faded, leaving the village to burn.

* * *

The Heartless master screwed up his face in frustration; he wasn't sure if he was to count this as a victory or a defeat. Sure he had nearly slaughtered the village of Mizuho, but Sheena, the summoner, had survived – barely. Still, alive was alive, and clearly only the Summon Spirits had the strength necessary to counteract him, and that was restricted the Summoner's stamina.

So he decided to write it off as a victory.

He produced a map of the new, reunited world. _None of the geography makes any sense_, he thought. Having been born and raised in the old world, he was much more accustomed to the lone geography of Tethe'alla and Slyvarant. Together, the two worlds made a mess of it.

_Whoever cut the world in half did a sloppy job and arranging the continents._

He jabbed his finger at the map and selected his next target. He smiled.

* * *

**A/N:** To answer a few questions: Yes, old villains from Tales of Symphonia will be returning. In fact, one seems to be controlling the Heartless. But is it who you think it is?

Kratos. Maybe. I'd have to invent a story reason (and I have a pretty badass one sitting around) for him to return. If he does, don't expect it anytime soon.

Sorry about any typos. I don't usually catch my own mistakes, unless they're glaring, and Word is next to useless when using made up words like Tethe'alla.

Before I go, I want you think think about that I just did. Heartless (more specifically an Invisible) SLAUGHTERED a village. SLAUGHTERED. Just want you to understand what kind of direction I'm taking this story in. SLAUGHTERED.

That's it. Please review. Check out some of my other stuff, blah, blah, blah, the usual.


	4. Recuperation

**Recuperation**

* * *

It took the better part of the day for Emil and Marta to arrive back at Meltokio from the Otherworldly Gate, so rather than seek Zelos Wilder out in the waning sunlight, they decided to check into an inn for the night and go out when they had a better chance of locating the Chosen of Tethe'alla.

In their room, Emil rested his arms on the windowsill and stared out at the night sky. He hadn't seen Zelos or any of the others since defeating Richter six months ago; he wondered how they were doing. Lloyd and Colette he knew were getting married, and Regal had returned to running the Lezerano Compnay. Sheena presumably went home to Mizuho. Genis had mentioned studying in Palmacosta, so he guessed he and Raine were there. Zelos and Presea seemed to have dropped off the map in the intervening months, but Tenebrae seemed certain that Zelos was here in Tethe'alla's capital with his sister, Seles, in their manor. Emil had always the red-head would be out chasing women, but maybe there was more to him than he thought; he had only know Zelos for a short time, after all.

Thinking about his friends inadvertently dredged up some rather unpleasant memories along with them. Tonight was one year since the Blood Purge in Palmacosta; one year since the night he had died – one year since the night he had been born. As he witnessed a shooting star, he spoke to Ratatosk.

_Ratatosk? You there?_

'_Course I'm here, you idiot: we share the same body._

_Oh. Right. Ratatosk, who was I before I was me?_

_That's the stupidest question I've ever heard, phrased in the most nonsensical manner possible._

_You know what I mean!_

Ratatosk sighed. _You weren't anybody, kid. I created you from the body of Aster and the memories of the real Emil Castagnier to be a persona that would protect me while I recovered my form. _

_Well then I _was _somebody!_ Emil protested. _You just said so!_

_Dead! Both of your composite humans were dead. _There was silence. _You weren't supposed to exist._

Emil shut the Lord of Monsters out of his thoughts even as he latched onto those words: You weren't supposed to exist. _That's not true_, he lied to himself. _It can't be true. I exist for a reason, just like everybody else. I – _

"Emil?" Marta said sweetly. "What are you doing?"

Emil realized his hands were gripping the sill and released them, feeling his tense muscles struggle to relax. "Thinking," he said.

Marta frowned behind his back. She didn't like it when he said that; it always went back to Ratatosk and the night of the Blood Purge. It pained her to see him grapple with his own identity like that; she loved him for who he was now, not whoever he had been – so she reminded him every time. He always thanked her and said it helped, but she knew he was lying.

Rather than touch on that subject, she asked what had originally been on her mind. "Why do you think Tenebrae sent us to find Zelos? Shouldn't be go after Raine, or Lloyd, or someone more…intelligent?"

"Zelos is the Chosen of Tethe'alla," Emil said slowly. "Church or no Church, he still holds a lot of clout with the royal family." He looked back over one shoulder. "You know more about this than I do."

"I know, but…Zelos?" She smiled a half-smile. "He's not exactly the first person I would go to in a pinch, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah," he replied with a laugh. "I do. But I trust Tenebrae."

"Me too, and I can see what he's getting at, as well. If we can convince Zelos to talk to the king, and convince him that the Heartless threat is real, then we've just prepared half the world; Slyvarant will be trickier because they still don't have a central government." She shook her head. "They might listen to Colette or Lloyd, but…"

"They'll believe, Marta; why wouldn't they?"

"People have a hard time seeing something they don't want to, even if it runs up and smacks them in the face. Especially if it's the truth. Lies – nice, cozy lies – are more desirable than hard facts. For a while, the world was divided over whether or not Lloyd was a hero or a terrorist, even though anyone that knew him didn't believe he was a terrorist."

Even though he had faced up to that fact a long time ago, Emil still retained the memory of Lloyd murdering his family. Of course it wasn't his real family, and it wasn't really Lloyd, but _still_.

"Right, well, let's not worry about it anymore," he said, spinning around and drawing her into a tight embrace. "Okay?"

"Okay." Marta practically melted into him then, as she did whenever he put his arms around her. "I'm tired, so I'm going to bed." She looked up at him. "What about you?"

"No. Not yet."

"Alright then." She reached up to kiss him. "Night."

"Good night." He watched her climb into bed; then he went back to watching the stars. Marta fell asleep watching him, worrying about him.

* * *

The survivors of Mizuho arrived at the dwarf Altessa's house late into the night. When the stout craftsman answered the door, he saw Tiga and Orochi supporting Sheena between them, and a mother and her young son behind them. Even if he hadn't recognized Sheena, he would have ushered them inside without a second thought. No consideration was given to the idea that they might have been followed.

Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need.

"Quickly, inside," he said in a hushed tone. Out of habit he turned to ask Tabitha to put on some water, but checked himself. "In the back, there's a made bed I keep for guests. Put Sheena there. I'll get another made right away for you," he said to the mother.

He set a kettle of water to boil and made up the bed while Sheena's wounds were finally dressed in the room next door. The mother uttered a meek thanks before dropping to the bed with her son; she was asleep in seconds.

The water boiled and he set to making some stew. About that time, Tiga and Orochi reappeared. They tried to explain the situation at once, stumbling over their words, and speaking at the same time, but Altessa silenced them with a swift wave of his hand. "Let me get some food in you before you get to talking; does no good to speak of ills on an empty stomach."

"Is that one of you Dwarven Vows?" Tiga asked lightly.

"Probably," the old dwarf admitted. "I'm afraid I've fallen out of the habit of using often. Oh, I remember the most important, but there's just so many, and my mind isn't quite what it used to be." He handed them each a bowl. "It is nice to have company, even if it is under such circumstances," he added following a look from Orochi. "Eat."

The two ninjas quickly drained their stew, not realizing how hungry they were; Altessa refilled each bowl without them having to ask. He refused their thanks saying it was his duty to his guests. When they finished, he collected their bowls and set them by the sink to wash later; then he returned to the table and said, "Now. Tell me what happened."

Altessa listened intently as Tiga and Orochi recounted the tale of Mizuho's razing, beginning with the missing children room a few days ago. With food on their bellies, they spoke much more calmly and without stepping on each other's words. They told of the appearance of the strange, dark monsters, of the slaughter, of Sheen's summoning Origin, and of the heartbreaking decision to abandon the village.

"Now," Tiga choked out, head in his hands, "we have no home. Those…_things_ took it from us."

"What were they?" Orochi said distantly. "Mindless, savage beasts. Damn them! They took our own people and turned them against us. What kind of monster can do that?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Altessa felt compelled to answer it anyway. "They weren't typical monsters, Orochi. In fact, I don't think they're a monster at all."

"Then what were they?" Orochi demanded flippantly. "Things in this world are either human, plants, or monsters. That's it; there isn't anything else for them to be."

"I don't know, Orochi," Tiga said miserably. "I've seen monster. No monster attacks with that kind of frenzy, or has the ability to transform the dead. And that one." His voice dropped to a grave whisper. "The one with the sword. It was unstoppable; it took a Summon Spirit to kill it. A Summon Spirit, and the king of them, at that."

"Tiga!" Orochi gripped the vice chief by the front of his tunic and shook him. "Get a hold of yourself! You're a ninja of Mizuho. Time like these are when we should be at our most composed. Even in the face of absolute ruin, we do not falter!" Tiga's eyes focused briefly on Orochi, but spaced out again. Disgusted, Orochi dropped him back into his chair.

"You." He pointed an accusing finger at Altessa. "What are they then, if not monsters?"

"I'm not quite sure, but old dwarven stories from before the time when the worlds were split, tell of such creatures. In the old language, they are called _hjerteløse,_ which roughly translates as _Heartless_."

"Heartless," Orochi echoed. "That does accurately describe them. Do your stories give any more details?"

"The legends tell that they are servants of the Nidhogg, the serpent which gnaws at the roots of the World Tree. They go through the worlds and seek the heart of the tree, after which they will steal it, and allow the Nidhogg to destroy the Tree, bringing the universe crashing down." He paused. "Some stories to mention being able to bring humans to their side by revealing the darkness within them."

"Superstition," Orochi spat. "Worlds don't have hearts." Tiga remained immobile and somewhere else mentally; the sight of his vice chief in such a state infuriated Orochi. Compounded with this talk of superstitious nonsense was almost too much to bear. Silently, he rose from the table and walked out the door, needing some fresh air.

Outside he stared up at the twin moons against the starscape and screamed.

* * *

Sheena was drowning in a sea of darkness. She tried to flail her arms and legs – to swim – but the pressure was too great, and she merely drifted along, feeling her heart beat slower and slower. This was it, this was the end. She had failed to save Mizuho, and now she would fail to save herself. Depressed even further now, she stopped fighting altogether.

Just when he had given up all hope of salvation, a light sparked to life within the darkness. It whispered a sweet siren song that called to her. The darkness restricting her movements lessen, and she was able to move around. The light grew brighter and she swam towards it, suddenly filled with hope again.

Behind her, the darkness gathered and chased after her like a tsunami approaching the shore. Ahead of her, the light flared to a blinding intensity, attempting to hold back the darkness, but under such force, the light faltered, and Sheena was drowning again. Only this time she did not give up, but continued to claw her way towards the light. Not to be denied, the darkness surrounded her again, reducing the light to a pitiful speck.

The light flared one last time and a hand extended into the darkness, a hand of light. It was familiar, but in her fighting state, she couldn't remember whose hand it was. She grasped it, and pulled herself towards the light…

"Lloyd!" Sheen jolted awake in a strange bed, wrapped in bloody bandages, and wracked with pain. The act of coming awake suddenly shot waves of pain through her weary body, which caused her to cry out. She gritted her teeth and tried to lift herself up, but the effort was too much, and she dropped back onto the pillow, gasping for breath.

Moments later, Orochi peeked in through the door. "Are you awake in her, Sheena?"

"Yes," she said, though it pained her to speak. "Where am I?"

He stepped all the way in and shut the door. "Altessa's house."

"What happened…to…Mizuho?"

Orochi made fists with his hands. "It was completely destroyed. You saved Tiga and myself, don't you remember? You summoned Origin, and he…" He quieted when Altessa appeared in the doorway bearing a bowl of soup.

"Now, now, Orochi," he soothed. "Let's not trouble her just yet. She needs food or else she won't heal properly. Here, Sheena, eat this." Sheena once again attempted to lift her arm, but when she was unable, allowed Altessa to spoon the soup into her mouth; she avoided looking at Orochi the whole time. When she was finished, the old Dwarf retreated, leaving the two of them alone.

"I summoned…Origin?" she asked finally.

"Yes. It was only because of that that the few of us survived."

"How…few, Orochi?" He hesitated too long. "Tell me…who's left!"

"You, me, Tiga, a woman named Jenine, and her son, Balta. That's all that remains of the village of Mizuho." His hesitation this time was to allow Sheena to absorb the information. "What do you want to do?"

"What?"

"You're still the chief, Sheena, even without a village."

Through pain-clouded thoughts, Sheena managed to make a decision not based on her raging emotions following the destruction of the only home she had ever known. Every fiber of her being screamed for vengeance, to hunt down and murder every last one of those monsters. But that would accomplish nothing. No, now was the time for level headed decisions, not spontaneity.

"We go to Meltokio, Orochi. There we might seek sanctuary until I can decide what to do next."

"Yes, chief." Orochi did a smart about-face and opened the door.

"Orochi?"

"Yes, Sheena?"

"Do we know what those things were?"

"No, chief. We have no idea. I'll leave you to rest."

Sheena thought she heard something off in Orochi's voice, but was too tired to dwell on it. She dreamed again of darkness, and of having to struggle for her life. This time though, she was not prepared to quit.

In the common room of Altessa's house, Orochi flicked his gaze from the old dwarf, busing himself in making a stew, pretending not to notice he was being studied, to the nearly catatonic Tiga. Tiga seemed to notice Orochi and turned his way ever so slightly. For just an instant, Tiga focused on Orochi – and frowned, a single act that conveyed a world of emotion – but then he returned to staring at the floor.

Orochi swallowed his anger and brooded.

* * *

In spite of everything, Aselia continued its daily rotation. Dawn came quickly for Altessa's house – and shortly after that, Meltokio. On the other side of the world, twilight settled on Iselia. Of late, Dirk had been alone in his home, with only Noishe for company. To fill his days, the middle-aged dwarf spent his time making figurines. The one we has currently working on was Lloyd and Colette together.

He set his tools down and wiped his forehead, and Noishe lifted his head. The protozoan dog growled, which lapsed into a high-pitched whine. That meant only one thing: monsters. Noishe hated monster – feared them, in truth. It seemed ironic for the large, green-and-white dog creature to be afraid of monsters smaller than it, but Dirk knew the reason. Noishe had protected a three year-old Lloyd from his monstrous mother after her transformation into an Exubula.

Sometimes Dirk suspected Noishe of only feigning fear to protect Lloyd, to keep him from going into danger. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights because after a moment, Noishe seemed to remember Lloyd wasn't there and jumped to his feet, baring his teeth. Dirk kept his eyes on the door while he reached for his oversized mallet, a distinctly dwarven weapon.

Cautiously, he opened the door, Noishe at his side. Pairs of glowing, golden eyes peered at him from the trees. Gripping the mallet with both hands, he said to Noishe, "Are you up for this?"

Noishe barked as if to say, "Of course."

"I knew I could count on ya." Noishe was much smarter than he appeared, which was something o be said for all the time he spent around Lloyd. Beneath the animal exterior was the intelligence of a human.

Something skittered forward.

Dirk was ready.

* * *

**A/N:** Another quick update; I'm kind of on a roll here. Don't worry, it'll pass, and I'll be back to my non-updating ways shortly. So don't you fret.

OhJay: don't Worry, Aster's Heart will be important later.

Leobracerstudios: You are entirely correct on one account, and completely wrong on another. I won't tel you which is which, because I like hearing your theories.

Cold-heart-Angel32: Yeah. Zelos. Yeah, slaughtered.


End file.
